Recently, I was facilitating a client video conference on Zoom. The speaker, a young woman charged with leading an organizational initiative, began to outline her project update. As she did, serious and focused on the audience, her toddler, dressed in blue pajamas with brown curly hair, climbed a wooden cabinet in the background. I gasped, anticipating a fall and loud wailing.

The client turned, saw the toddler, grabbed her, and returned to the call with the little girl plopped on her lap. “Now,” she said, “Where was I?”

Welcome to the Pandemic Workplace

Welcome to the workplace created by COVID-19, where the line between work and home has blurred or disappeared altogether. This new workplace is challenging assumptions about the parent-worker identity, as noted in The Upshot’s April 20 New York Times article, “Three Things Lockdowns Have Exposed About Working and Parenting.”

This new workplace is also demanding a different kind of playbook, one that does not differentiate between work and life, or personal and professional, but integrates and leverages both. It’s unknown territory for many leaders but oh so familiar for Wendy and me.

Our Story

The year was 1995. We were single moms with toddlers in tow when we abandoned the security of our full-time jobs to become entrepreneurs and launch RETREATS, Inc., an adventure-based leadership and team development company. We had twin goals: to make a significant difference in the world by working with leaders and teams who would do the same and to raise our children so that they, too, would create meaningful lives for themselves.

Like the client on the Zoom call, in those early days, we juggled conference calls from kitchen tables with kids underfoot. We begged favors from friends and neighbors when meetings ran over and kids needed school rides. We learned how to read financial spreadsheets in between helping with math homework assignments.

Facing the Unknown

Like many women-leaders today, we often faced the unknown. We were clumsy. We sometimes didn’t do it right (and we often didn’t know what “right” was). But over time, we learned to embrace the unknown for the possibilities it triggered and the sixth sense we acquired for what to do and when to do it, even if we couldn’t name it.

We were coaching before it ever became a profession. We focused not on problems but on the possibilities that were emerging from them, using Appreciative Inquiry. We showed leaders how to “see” the hidden patterns and dynamics that govern an organization using Organizational Systemic Constellations. And because we are outdoor enthusiasts, we continued to facilitate team-building using white-water rafting, ropes courses, sailing adventures, and more.

Our intentions and intuitions guided us, and often, we were graced with openings that hinted that we were on the right path, including early on.

The Right Path Emerges

It was a multi-day adventure retreat for an all-male team of Campbell Soup executives. After a day of orienteering through the forest to find parts to build rafts for crossing a large lake, we were to meet for dinner. Because I was breast-feeding at the time, I had brought my daughter with me and hired a babysitter for the day. When evening came, I had no choice but to bring my daughter to dinner, despite my concerns about appearing unprofessional.

Imagine my surprise when this team of high-level leaders embraced not only my daughter, but also me as a leader and mother, and as a parent like themselves. We were connected by our shared humanity and a wall disappeared. Some pulled photos from wallets (this was before cell phones) to proudly show me their kids. We reached a new level of connection and transparency, much like today.

Over the years, RETREATS Inc. evolved into Continuum, a growing global consulting firm and it all began with two moms and a mission. On this Mother’s Day, as we celebrate 25 years in business, we thought we’d share our lessons learned for all mothers (and all parents) leading in the world today.

How to “Pandemic Parent” as a Leader

• When things get hot, cool down. Put yourself in a time-out and in that time-out, take 10 deep breaths before you return to the hot situation. You may also want to listen to this podcast.
• Focus on the positive. It’s trite but true that focusing on the positive uplifts us. It also demands that we focus on possibilities, not problems. To focus on what’s good in your life, listen to this podcast. You can also ask yourself three simple questions:
  • What was the best thing that happened to me today?
  • What did I do well or learn today?
  • What am I most grateful for today?
• Live true to what’s most important to you. Our core values drive our actions. Leaders and mothers make tough decisions every day, and sometimes, you have to stand up for what you believe despite the contradictions. What are your core values? Now is a good time to clarify your values, and align your actions to them.

Happy Mother’s Day!

The post The Mother of All Leadership Challenges appeared first on Continuum Consulting Services LLC.

And, there is nothing more jarring than reading the headlines about the “Unite the Right” rally on Saturday, in Charlottesville, VA.  The escalated violence and subsequent death of an anti-right protester is yet another example of the widening divide within the United States.

How can we begin to hold space for Appreciative Conversations between people with such opposing world views?  How can we even begin to bridge those divides?

Also on Saturday, nearly 40 Appreciative Inquiry (AI) enthusiasts gathered in the lakeside city of Burlington, VT, on the campus of Champlain College.  The David Cooperrider AI Center and The Taos Institute for Social Constructionism were our generous hosts.

Knowing, “what we focus on grows”, we were very deliberate in our conversation topics.  So what can we do in turbulent times that can make a difference?  Here are some highlights from the gathering, intended to inspire action:

1. Stay grounded
2. Seek to understand – listen generously
3. See past the rhetoric and strive to identify the need behind the behaviors
4. Be aware of the power struggles at play
5. Stop demonizing the “other” – we are all human
6. Express what’s important to you and why
7. Acknowledge the needs and find common ground
8. Set a super ordinate goal to bring people together on higher ground

When emotions are high, this is easier said than done.  Starting the conversation with the extremes may not be realistic, but most of us fall closer to the middle, let’s begin the conversation there.  How can you lead with your Appreciative Voice today?

The post Appreciative Voice in Turbulent Times appeared first on Continuum Consulting Services LLC.

Announcing: Bridging the Divide 

Bridging the Divide is a timely endeavor being developed to serve and equip individuals, leaders, communities, organizations and businesses with effective tools, strategies, and dialogues that enable people to more effectively close the gaps that are painfully dividing us.

Differences in life are natural.  It is innate in us to come together yet divisions are pervasive because our mindsets and behaviors have turned our differences into divides.  Bridging the Divide exists to activate the potential of humanity to engage with one another harmoniously, inclusive of our differences.

Continuum is interviewing experts from around the world who are actively bridging divides around race, gender, politics, generations and economics. We are searching for best practices and techniques that can be leveraged to effectively bring people together. We look forward to sharing what we discover!

The post Bridging the Divide appeared first on Continuum Consulting Services LLC.

Here’s how it works. We begin at the bottom of the S Curve to vision, create and grow a program or organization – note the blue line. The organization experiences success and growth as they travel up the curve. The challenge is that the things that made you successful in the beginning of a venture may not be the same behaviors, tools or strategies that you will need as you continue to grow. Sooner or later the company has to think and create differently. The old adage that the “things that get you here won’t get you there” is true.

For example, you have a visionary entrepreneur who leads a successful start up organization. Everyone they hire is a go-getter ready to take on any project. They work best when there are great challenges and little structure. Everyone is involved in decisions and forming the business.

Then the business grows to 100 people or more. All of a sudden you need more specialized skill-sets, standard operating procedures, common structures and procedures to continue to grow the business. It is time to begin a new growth curve.

This is where things get interesting. For organizational survival and growth it is imperative that you begin the new curve (idea, product, way of doing business,) before the one you are on crashes.

It is the space in the middle that is the most challenging. How do you manage through change and uncertainty? How do you get your people to change things that in the past have made them successful? How do you keep up with the every day challenges of your business and at the same time keep a visionary eye out for the best next wave?

Remember, that although jumping the curve can mean challenging times for your organization, it is also exciting. It means that you have been successfully growing your business. Don’t hold onto the past too tightly and enjoy the ride!

The post Catch The Curve … The CHANGE Curve appeared first on Continuum Consulting Services LLC.

In the past we focused on developing people and teams, then the need became, how do we get people to work together across departments within an organization? Our challenge was to eliminate silos.

Now … to meet the challenges we currently face, we have to expand our concept of collaboration to include not only those we currently work with, but how do we collaborate with people outside of our organization?

How do we bring together multiple sectors—business, non-profits, government, academia, and social networks—to create new ways of innovating, building business and tackling the global challenges that face us today?

This type of cutting edge collaboration brings huge potential and raises difficult questions:

• How do we bring diverse groups together for true dialogue that leads to common vision and inspired action?
• How can we shift our focus from the things that separate us, and instead keep our focus on the common elements of our individual visions that we can unite on?
• How do we ensure that all voices are heard and outcomes supported?

In closed system groups, to ensure accountability, the vision and action plans can be tied to compensation and advancement. It was possible to put “teeth” into the decisions. We have some “push” power to enact the change we want. In multi-sector collaborations, how do we ensure accountability and follow-through? I believe we must move from a “push” form of motivation to a powerful “PULL.”

How do we work together to create a common vision and pathway forward that is SO COMPELLING that people can’t help but become excited and put their energy into following through? How do we work with people in a way that they feel like they “Can’t NOT” take steps to initiate change? The motivation shifts from an external push to an internal pull.

Be looking for more posts and resources on this topic as our curiosity leads us to more questions and hopefully … creative solutions!

The post Mass Collaboration – Rethinking How We Work Together appeared first on Continuum Consulting Services LLC.